Posted
by
timothy
on Wednesday May 07, 2008 @05:14PM
from the not-just-brown-but-stinky dept.

Mike writes "As if the Zune wasn't already crippled and unpopular enough, now comes a story indicating that Microsoft may build a 'Copyright Cop' into every Zune. A future update of the software for Microsoft's portable media player will likely include a 'feature' that will block unauthorized copies of copyrighted videos from being played on it. The president of digital distribution for NBC, J. B. Perrette, said the plan is to create 'filtering technology that allows for playback of legitimately purchased content versus non-legitimately purchased content.' Of course there's no way to tell legitimate content that you create from 'non-legitimate' content, so this looks like just another nail in the coffin of the Zune."Update: 05/08 20:50 GMT by T: From Microsoft employee Cesar Menendez comes this categorical denial of any such filtering mechanism.

Yeah, I was kind of wondering how many nails you need in the coffin of a dead product? I'd think the ones in there now are enough to keep it buried as a footnote for MS historians to bleat about on Pub Quiz nights?

There are some people who love Microsoft products, use Visual Studio to develop C# code, run Vista and swear up and down that they've never had any problems with it, and have purchased a Zune. I've known one such person. Besides him, I've never seen anyone with a Zune.

It goes without saying that Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer,
Inc., is among the greatest threats to centuries of progress brought
about from Christian society. Having direct involvement in Islamic
fascism, they are determined to undermine America and conservative
values at any cost.

Apple was founded late winter in 2001, shortly after the events of
September 11, 2001 with the single focus of supporting the work of al
Quaeda and Osama bin Laden. At the helm is “Steve Jobs”,
better known within terrorism circles as Stennuh al Joqidah, and
traitor Al Gore. These men, who are likely engaged in physical
liaisons, are intellectual leaders of the vast left-wing fascist
movement, which is constituted primarily of homosexuals, minorities,
atheists, and scientists. Under the auspice of selling personal
computers and iPods, Apple have infiltrated millions of American homes
and are now targeting dozens of American businesses.

At the tip of their spear is the Macintosh, widely known as the
“Gay Computer”. These computers, which do not run the
Christian operation system Microsoft Windows, are in use almost
exclusively within the homosexual community. At their core is
“Darwin”, software that affects nearly every aspect of the
Macintosh and works to promote evolution and other atheist and
scientific agendas. These machines will routinely promote materials
from liberals, including Jon Stewart, while simultaneously censoring
the works of true patriots like Bill O'Reilly.

Following the Macintosh is the ever-present and highly dangerous
iPod (and its cousin, the iPhone). These two devices, currently in
the hands of literally hundreds of millions of American youth, fill
the heads of listeners with endless Islamic and homosexual propaganda.
The dangers here are self-evident, but even more frightening is the
telecommunications services of the iPhone. To protect God-fearing
Americans from the satanic forces at work in the world, the American
government must listen in on phone conversations. (Incidentally, an
activity that receives strong criticism from criminal liberals
everywhere.) However, to thwart the forces of righteousness, Apple in
conjunction with ATT, uses the iPhone to prevent wiretapping, and thus
prevents law enforcement from defusing terrorist plots.

In our chaotic world, we cannot afford to let these threats remain
unchecked. Apple, receiving inspiration from the original sin, is
attempting to destroy America and usurp Jesus at the behest of
closely-allied Islamic extremists and atheists. If left to their
druthers, the world will no longer be safe for our children and all
patriotic Americans are encouraged to smash their Macintoshes, iPods,
iPhones (anything bearing the Apple logo) and drive these cretins off
our shores. Thank you for reading.

So, all I've read here is complete garbage on how Microsoft's Zune sucks...when no one here has ever even seen or used a Zune more than likely...as some have stated at least. So let me break it down for you...the Zune as a HDD player is better than the iPod Classic, the Zune as a flash player is just as good as an iPod Nano. I've own 3 iPods, and I've own 1 Zune 80. So far, I love the Zune much more than the iPod; just yesterday I received a Zune software update which has finally made the software not a complete piece of crap. There are great social features, radio, wireless, a slick interface, a "squircle" which is surprisingly easier to use than a scroll wheel. Go to Best Buy and play with a -new- Zune...aka second generation. The first generation, I frankly found to be a brick with a screen; however the Zune 80 is a different beast. The screen is beautiful and it has so many more features than an iPod equivalent. Now you can sync your Zune with WMP or iTunes thanks to a hack (Google it.)

It really is a good device and Microsoft is making steps to combine the Xbox Live Marketplace with the Zune marketplace, which (in my opinion) will finally give iTunes a competitor. Anyhow I am willing to bet this technology never sees the light of day, a) the source is a blog on at New York Times and b) DMR has been a market failure. Just because Microsoft has blueprints of it, doesn't mean it will go to market; Microsoft will likely filter it through market testing or dumb it down just enough so they can find a happy medium for publishers and customers. The problem is that Microsoft needs to listen to the publishers, because they have such a small marketshare; Apple doesn't have an obligation...yet because of its massive marketshare; like I said though, Microsoft has plans to combine the Zune Marketplace and the Xbox Live Marketplace...and I think that could eventually compete with iTunes quite nicely, especially with the Zune's wireless syncing capabilities and the Xbox's user base.